Thanks, I'm glad you like the truck. I originally had plans to have the driver-side door open for the final animation. I was going to have Farley coming out of the vehicle, but as I progressed with the modeling on the truck, I figured that I probably won't have enough time to do that. It would require me to add more detail to the interior side of the open door. Also, it would mean that I would have to add another character to my to-do list. I guess I'll have to see how it goes with the uv mapping and texturing. Not worried about the uv mapping, moreso on the texturing as I'm not that experienced with painting textures.

It looks like you've done your homework and actually read the book! I like the sketch. It's very similar to the picture I had in my mind of the scene in which Patricia first encounters the 7th chamber singularity. Best of luck to you in this contest.

What I'm planning would be like a reflection but rotated 90 degrees- but it would take a close in rendering to make it discernible. Right now it is just a plain reflective texture... I also want to model the end into a sort of complicated knot surface, closer to what was described. Thanks for the comments!
cheers- Scott

I've been struggling with what the end of singularity should look like. It is described as a sort of "malevolent knot". The singularity converts a force hitting it into a force sliding along its length, like a 90 degree reflection... I think that photons should be similarly affected, so it is not a standard reflective surface. I've used an anisotropic material for this render, just playing around.

Trying to get the rough scored rock texture of the borehole, which is supposed to be in an unfinished state between the 6th and 7th chambers. Also added a knot surface at end of singularity but this is not the best angle...

Almost two months ago now, when I had decided I would attempt to take part in the competition, I had browsed through the entries to see "Watz Hapn'n".
And I had come across this very thread, and particularly your post#12.

My direct impression was... "Yeah this guy literally nailed it!"
I sort of had visualised a tube with a series of stretches within its own reflective mass, sort of resembling the effects they tried directly on the film back in the late 70's early 80's when digital was far too primitive to take part (possibly Tron would be a serious exception)
As a result; that was actually a visualisation of what I had personally pictured as I read it.

Now, after all this time I had expected a whole different scene than the knot on post#13.(Unlucky number )I am SURE there must be a reason for you to go for it, but I honestly can't find it in neither theoretical Physics notes (an nder-intermediate skim), nor in the book itself.

If you ask my humble opinion, I would suggest for you to apply a much denser texture map and (to definitely use Polygons for this) to really mess up the UV layout to get some impossible twists within. Even for you to firstly bake the reflections if necessary.

That said.. Due to its nature; I think the colour would more run to the spectrum of yellow to blue to ultra-violet. sort of like cold Gold-Chrome... (The yellow being tinted only in it's reflected colours only as streaks.. where the wavelength knots low enough to be produced... sort of the same reason copper bands were visible further along the way)

Hoping I have not totally annoyed you still, I think I have a little to say about the rock texture...
As I get it, the Stone/Potato/Whale is actually based on Juno, from the Asteroid Belt... which is an S-Type asteroid: mainly composed of Iron and Magnesium-Silicates.
So it would take some serious amount of engineering to cut through that thing as it is.

In the book there is a description of the undecorated hallway on Lanier’s way to meet Patricia shall you remember;From Pages 31-32;

Quote:The elevator entrance, a perfect semicircular arch, had been blasted out of asteroid material, as had all the tunnels, serviceways and bore holes of the Stone, by a fusion torch of extremely high power and efficiency. The sides of the short hall had been polished smooth and etched with acid by the Stoners to reveal the beautiful triangular Widmanstiitten patterns, veined with rocky troilite intrusions.

Maybe the walls in your scene could also influence from that text, sort of give a better idea of what you can go for.
Possibly a series of collected photos from disrupted metal scraps or something of the line can be of use if you want a "blasted" result; or some close-up shots from metallurgy sites of the Widmanstiltten patterns if you want the polished look; may help you get to some very dramatic effects.

Also; I am not too sure on how it works still... but I think a sort of circuitry should be vacant (like that expected for the Tube-Rider) for the singularity to be able to be centred/controlled as it is.. something like a magnetic field generator or “something”.. I don’t exactly know what… but it may help get across your story here.

I AM aware that I have only listed a whole series of things that only and only demand a lot of work to look anything decent…
Making your job even harder was really far from my intention… But noticing that you haven’t posted since 11 days does get me to worry that you may be on the edge of giving up, too busy or possibly stuck and out of influence.

Your entry is of the ones that literally screams out of the book, and you have chosen (And well accomplished) one of the most difficult moments to grasp, leave alone to visualise. I think for this reason alone this entry demands attention.

Really hoping to have stepped on a few buttons to get you started and rolling again…

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